3rd Grade Newsletter

February 21 - February 25, 2022


Click on the name below to email the teacher.

From Mrs. Griffin:

GT Testing started Tuesday, February 1st and will continue this week. Your child may be pulled for testing for approximately 45 minutes each day this week.

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Please remember to do this:

Please be sure to check your child's GREAT Tiger folder nightly. We send notes, graded papers, and homework via this folder. You can take the papers out of it nightly. Also, please initial in the day's box that you have seen their GREAT Tiger folder each night.


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Parents.....

We encourage you to try some of the released practice tests that are available online. This is the first year our students will take the STAAR test, and it is online this year, not on paper. Third graders will have opportunities at school as well to practice. Look for the link in Mrs. Bailey's section of Tiger Den.

Collect Recyclable Goods from Home for Project at School

Hello parents,


I wanted to send home a note to make a request to please start collecting recyclables materials at home for an upcoming Science project. The items will be used to show mastery of our physical sciences unit and will highly rely on knowledge of gravity, force, and motion. This project will begin around 2/28 and it will be presented 3/10 at Open House. I will send out more details and information after I introduce the project 2/28.


**Things to collect: Cardboard boxes, toilet paper rolls, plastic containers cereal boxes, plastic bags, etc.


Thank you for helping us prepare for the project. I promise more will be revealed soon!


-Mrs. Wierz

****** Ask your child....******

.....if they have a working pair of headphones or earbuds. They need them for:

  • Tests and activities on line that they need to "hear" what is being read or said to them or asked of them.

  • Music Class

  • Art Class

  • Reading and Math assignments

  • Practice for STAAR requires headphones.

There are a lot of 3rd graders without a pair of headphones or without a pair of headphones that work. We thank you SO much for sending them with a pair of headphones on Monday. :)

Don't Miss Out!

Buy your Yearbook! Yearbooks are on sale! You can order a yearbook and create an Ad online here. The order number for O. C. Taylor is 17833.


Are there any parents out there that could make a video for our February Future Explorations?


For the month of February our Career Pathway is : Production. There are 2 links below that explain what is under that career umbrella. Please send Mrs. Lee a video that tells about one of these jobs, the type of skills that are needed, etc.. She will share it with all of the other 3rd grade teachers. It only needs to be 5, 10, or 15 minutes long. Thank you! :)


February - PRODUCTION

Important Dates to Remember:

February 1-28: Reflex Contest begins in GCISD

February 22: Spring Picture Day!


GCISD Contest using Reflex Math

When?: February 1st through February 28

Who?: All 2nd -5th grade students in GCISD

How?: Just login to Reflex and enjoy solving math facts until your child gets the "green light". However, they can work pass the green light status.

What? 3 ways to win:

1.Average Green Light %

2. Average Daily Usage Average

3. Total Facts Solved

Reading: Ms. Pease

Congratulations to Hannah Mauer, Yejoon Sung, and Scarlett Leskinen for representing our grade level by writing AMAZING essays to win our grade level $1,000. We will be spending our money on ordering new Book Club Books for our grade level. So PROUD!

This week we have been working on the following:

  • Read the next few chapters in The Cricket in Times Square and answered response questions about each chapter

  • Met with our Book Clubs to discuss and answer questions about the first 1/2 of our books.

Next week, we will:

  • continue to practice annotating text for comprehension using L.A.T.C.H.

  • Finish up our whole-group novel study of The Cricket in Times Square.

  • BOOK CLUBS: Your child should be reading the last half of their book club book. They will have until Friday, Feb. 25th to complete it. They have a new reading log recording sheet to complete as they read.

Ask Your Child:

What is your favorite character from the book The Cricket in Times Square and why?

If you could have any insect as a pet, what would it be? Why? Which insect would you NEVER want to own? Why?






Math:

**Ask your child:

  1. about how they are doing on Reflex. How many green lights have they received this week?

  2. about how to read a number line with fractions. How do they label one? How do they know what the denominator is going to be?

  3. about what the acronym "CUBES" stands for in solving word problems.

This week we have been working on the following

  • We practiced both division and multiplication math facts.

  • We took our Unit 5 district assessment over basic fractions.

  • We practiced STAAR type word problems and talked about what we noticed.

  • We learned about a new program called Frax. You will be getting an email from me this weekend that tells more about it.

Next, week's focus will be:

  • We will take fractions a step further and begin comparing fractions with common denominators.

  • Equivalent fractions will be practiced more in depth.

  • We will continue to work on our fact fluency with Reflex.

Currently, 3rd grade at OC Taylor is leading the district in the contest! Yay!!!

  • Continue to work on math fluency with Splash Math, and MobyMax, too.

  • We will preview the STAAR online resources for math and practice getting to the right place and using the tools.

  • This week's homework will be due on Friday.



Science:

In science we are in our Force and Motion unit.

Our Main Points to learn from this Unit:


  • Forces are useful in everyday life.

  • Pushing and pulling can cause an object to change position and to move.

  • Items such as swings, balls, and wagons can be used to help move objects.

  • Forces including gravity and magnetism can have observable effects on objects.

  • Gravity is a force that can move objects by pulling them toward each other.



Grammar: Ms. Pease

Next week's focus phrase:

I can identify comparative and superlative adjectives within sentences.


Ask Your Child:

Ask your child what suffix a comparative adjective ends with

Answer: /-er/

Ask your child what suffix a superlative adjective ends with

Answer: /-est/






Writing:


  • Students are working on concepts of persuasive writing.

  • Students will be learning about speeches, editorials, persuasive letters, etc. We will be conferring together and help each other grow in our writing capabilities!


Spelling: Ms. Pease

Next week, we will practice our spelling words with final stable syllables such as: -ture, -tion, -sion, -ble, -tle, -ple,-cle, -dle, -kle, -gle, -age, -able

Students will spend next week practicing their spelling words with final stable syllables.

Your child will bring home a new spelling list of words with final stable syllables on Monday, Feb. 21st. The test will be on Friday, Feb. 25th.

I encourage your child to review a few minutes next week if needed.










We heard a few Tigers had a February birthday! Let's wish them the best birthday EVER!

February Birthdays

Max- February 2

Scarlett- February 8

Sophia B. - February 8

Jonah - February 17

Luke - February 18

Aiden A. ~ February 25



WISH LISTS

  1. Wierz - Clorox wipes to stay clean & modge podge to help reinvigorate our clipboards. Thank you, thank you!

  2. Pease: Clear Packaging Tape and Lysol spray

  3. Lee: Quart size Ziplock Bags :).

****Thank you so much for helping! We appreciate you! :) ****